I have traveled with a lap baby twice in the last two years, and I love it! The whole time I fly with a baby I have that whole 50% discount thrill going through me. 😉 Plus, it gives me special time to bond with that child without the distraction that 4 other precious children contribute to my mothering. Just me and my babe!

After my last flight, I realized there were some things I will never fly without, and I thought I’d throw the list out there for ya’ll in case you find yourself flying with a lap baby. I want you to enjoy it as much as I did!

1. Baby Carrier

There’s lots of great carriers on the market, I encourage you to find the best fit for you. But if you want to know what I love, it’s my Ergo. My first carrier was a Moby, and while it’s comfy, safe, and beautiful, it takes a while to get in place, and it can be hot wearing all that fabric. So when my girlfriends got together and gave me one for my 4th baby (great shower idea! Go in together on a nice carrier) I was super excited! It takes all of 20 seconds to get baby in (and even less time to extract them!) and I can have my baby close and my hands free.

I wore my Ergo all week, including the tour of the distiller at Young Living’s Farm in Mona, Utah.

When I fly with my Ergo, I use the front, zippered pouch for my phone, tickets, ID, and baggage claim receipts. It keeps everything handy and safe, like a fanny pack (except not–thank goodness!) When I’m not wearing the Ergo, I fold it and tuck it into my backpack or I use one of its straps to clip it around my suitcase handle.

The Ergo is comfy and safe for mamma and baby to wear for extended periods. (This is the model I have.) Wearing your baby streamlines you and your stuff for easier navigating and connections. One time I had to run the entire length of Concourse A in the Atlanta airport to make my flight, and if I’d been pushing a stroller, we would not have made it!

2. Umbrella Stroller

I know I just said that I prefer an Ergo to a stroller, but the reality is, I like having both. A stroller gives you a place to rest the baby if you get tired of carrying her, a place to put your purse, and–best of all, it seems to give you preferred treatment! This trip was the first one I’ve brought a stroller and it was amazing the extra help I was given compared to my last trip! I was given complimentary rides on those airport carts that go buzzing by, passengers and employees alike offered help, and I even got to load first—all because I had a stroller with me. It was worth it if I’d never unfolded it!

Lainey basically slept the whole time. Here we are in the yard at the Lavender Farm, napping in the shade.

It’s up to you if you want a fancy one or basic. They make souped-up umbrella strollers now that have nearly all the features of a heftier stroller, but still fold quite compactly. I just bought myself a basic, simple stroller (from the thrift store–$5!) and loved how light and simple it was. I could push, pull, or carry it–all with one hand. It was really worth having it along.

Fashion scarf—big and drapey, they look great if you have to sling it around your neck

Carseat Cover—again, that whole big and drapey thing!

Yes, even real foodies eat fast food! I enjoyed a chic-fil-a breakfast sandwich during my layover in Atlanta while Lainey stretched her legs on her swaddling blanket.

As each one got soiled, I stuffed it in my laundry bag. Thanks to their light weight fabric, they took up hardly any room in my luggage. We used the last one for the trip home and I was so grateful for all the clothes they saved from spilled milk, and for keeping Lainey warm in the chilly, mountain air of Utah.

Rocking Lainey’s swaddling blanket as a scarf with some of the friends I made on the trip.

4. Travel Pack of Essential Oils

I take this little mini oils case wherever I go, but was especially grateful for the aromatic qualities of the oils while flying. Compact spaces, my seat mate’s cologne, and the stress of making my next connection do not mix well. Having these lovelies with me helped me enjoy the trip more!

I like using the mini drams for the oil—it enables me to take a lot more of my favorites along without too much bulk. You can find mini oil bottles on amazon. My little travel case is from Young Living, but you can find similar ones here.

5. A Good Snack Bar

It can be tricky to find affordable, nourishing food while traveling. And nursing mammas shouldn’t skip meals or skimp on carbs! These bars saved me over and over on my trip, and my milk supply was strong the whole time. (I think I need to keep a batch on hand at home!) I’m not saying these bars are super nutritious, but they are better—and cheaper—than what you’ll find at the airport!

Ergo on, swaddling blanket on, oils and oat bars keeping me happy and strong as we explored at the farm!

Peanut Butter Oat Bars

1 c. peanut butter

2/3 c. coconut oil

2/3 c. honey

3 c. oats

½ c. mini chocolate chips

Melt the coconut oil gently over low heat, then combine with rest of ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Stir well, then press mixture into an 8×8 pan. Refrigerate till stiff, then cut into bars. Store in fridge.

These are best when kept refrigerated, but I wrapped each bar separately in plastic wrap, so even when they were soft from a day of traveling, I could nibble the crumbly bits from the plastic and managed to keep hands clean and belly full.

So, those are my trips for flying with a lap baby—add your stories or tips to the comments to make this page a great resource for other moms!

I’ve collected a wide variety of things over the years. My early collections were begun for the sake of collecting, because I thought everyone who was cool had a collection.

I looked around me and saw the stickers on the bananas we were having for breakfast, and decided to collect banana stickers. Cool.

In the 90’s I collected Snapple bottle caps, because the corny jokes made me a laugh (and bottle caps were infinitely cooler than banana stickers).

When I matured (a bit) I collected Delft china because that’s what a good daughter of Dutch immigrants does, right?

Finally, I realized I didn’t like clutter, wasn’t really a collector. I cleared my shelves and put my collections in storage. (Yes, I still own the china, the caps and the banana stickers. What can I say. I’m sentimental.)

I thought I’d quit collecting things, until I looked around at what 2015 was looking like and realized I’d begun collecting no’s.

Near the end of last year I had some big ideas, and some great directions I could I could go with my time and energies in the new year. I was excited about opportunities to serve outside my home, and even a speaking engagement (I just love talking!).

2015 promised to be a big year.

Then I figured out I was pregnant (it always takes me a while) and I caught another vision for 2015.

This will be the year I will welcome the long-awaited 5 child into our family. (I know there’s less than 2 years between this one and the last one, but I’ve always dreamed of having at least 5 children, and this will be the year that dream finally comes true.) This is the year my motherhood will experience yet another epic shift, and I will have huge opportunities for growth and impact–in my own home and heart.

This will be a year focused on Motherhood.

So I started saying “No” to things. I said “no, not now” to some big, time consuming ideas I’d had for my blog, and found instead some smaller (still amazing, but less exhausting) ways to serve my readers in the coming months. I said “No, but thank you so much” to the speaking engagement. I said no to some volunteering I loved, and other commitments I just didn’t have the energy for. I was a bit wistful, but I knew it was the right thing.

And that’s when I noticed that I’d begun a new collection. I’d begun collecting “no’s”. Not no’s like rejection, like when other people say no to you. (Those are no fun.) Nope, these were “no’s” God was nudging me toward, and every time I said one, I felt life got more peaceful. Less cluttered.

A NO isn’t ugly when it means you’re saying YES to something better. And collecting that kind of NO makes space and gives you room to breath.

Some dreams don’t fit in the same season. As we get to know 2015 in person, instead of a list of goals on paper, is it time to do a little tiny bit of reevaluating? Do you have some NO’s you need to say to lighten your load this year?

My favorite part of Christmas is not the gifts, the food, and not even the excuse to fill my house with fresh greenery (although that is high on the list!). For me it’s always been traditions. Be they unique or simple, I love that comforting feeling of doing the same thing at the same time of year, over and over again. All the good memories from previous years rise up in you as you embrace a tradition, filling the moment with more joy and depth than opening a single gift or indulging in one more Christmas cookie.

At least, that’s how I feel.

Growing up, our family of 9 had some pretty unique holiday traditions, thanks to my mom being a Dutch immigrant (chocolate sprinkles on toast, anyone?), but one of our favorites was when we’d get the Christmas decorations out and with them came our stack of Christmas children’s books. We were a family that loved books, and as a child I used to chaff a bit that these particular titles were kept in storage 11 months out of the year, but as I grew older I began to appreciate the depth of this tradition.

Each December we had a stack of stories we hadn’t read in a whole year, all to do with the season, and each page was filled with that rich scent of memories. We’d pile on the couch and read through the picture books together, sometimes all in a single afternoon, and then challenge ourselves to make it all the way through each of the chapter books during advent. Older siblings would read aloud to younger, and everyone would join in on favorite lines (or the whole book!).

A New Twist on a Family Tradition

I’ve always wanted to recreate this tradition for my children, and then I heard about building an advent calendar with kid’s Christmas books–where you wrap 25 books and open one a day leading up to Christmas. That’s it. I was sold.This year, I’m going to begin this tradition with our family, and help you, too!

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Here’s a full list of treasured advent books for kids, from classics to modern favorites, for young children and older ones, so you can customize this tradition for your family…

Christmas Books For the Very Young

Claude the Dog: A Christmas Story by Dick Gackenbach. This was the first book I added to my own kid’s advent book collection because I felt Christmas would not be complete without this adorable story with its simple reminder of what really matters at Christmas (friends and family, not the gifts). My siblings loved this one so much, and asked for it to be read so repeatedly, that we began the tradition of reading it over and over in a single sitting, using a different accent or funny voice each time. We even read it backwards and in pig latin. Good memories, people.

The Friendly Beasts by Tomie dePaola. This is actually a Christmas Carol with illustrations. We always sing it when we read it (also with accents. Go figure.)

The Animal’s Christmas Eve by Gale Wiersum. My friend Jessica says this is a favorite with little ones–and she has triplet 2 year olds, so she would know! She says, “The sing-song words are sure to catch a child’s attention…particularly one that loves animals.”

Mortimer’s Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson. Whitney recommended this one to me–she says, “Mortimer is a staple. I always cry. As he pushes and pulls out the nativity pieces to make room for himself, he tells Jesus that there is no room for Him. For me it’s a reminder that I do that, too!”

The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown. From the author of Goodnight Moon, a sweet and simple classic.

Christmas Books by Popular Authors

I love when a favorite author comes out with a Christmas book (like one’s favorite band making a Christmas album, right?) These are ones I KNOW my children will love because other books by the author have become favorites.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas? by Jane Yolen. Jesse’s first real picture book was from the “How Does a Dinosaur…” series, so we’ve had a soft spot for the the chaos and hilarity of these almost-domesticated dinosaurs ever since.

Llama Llama Jingle Bells and Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney. There’s always drama with llamas, right? I’m always inspired by how Mama Llama deals with the drama with cuddles and communication. And my kids love the rhyme and rhythm of these books!

Petunia’s Christmas by Roger Duvoisin. Oh, clever Petunia. In this story she employs all of her wiles to prevent a handsome gander from being served up as the Christmas entree at Windy Farm.

Carl’s Christmas by Alexandra Day. I’ve always enjoyed the wordless, beautifully illustrated books from this author, allowing you to narrate the story to your child in your own words.

Toot & Puddle: Let It Snow by Holly Hobby. I’ve always loved the simplicity of Toot and Puddle’s friendship, and this Christmas story brings that simplicity to the challenge of giving the perfect gift.

Christmas Day Kitten by James Harriet. I love how they’ve taken favorite Jame’s Harriet stories and packaged them with illustrations for children!

Madeline’s Christmas by Ludwig Bemelmans. If you love that old house in Paris, covered in vines, then you’ll love this unique Christmas tale (no Santa, no Nativity, but still a sweet story!)

The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter. One of my favorite by Miss Potter. I adore the diligent thoughtfulness of the mice, how the cat gets what he deserves, and the detailed illustrations.

Richard Scary’s Best Christmas Book Ever by Richard Scary. Besides the fun adventures with Huckle Cat and lovable Lowly Worm, there are also songs, games, a list of Christmas words, and instructions for making a great gift for Grandma!

Dream Snow by Eric Carle. Carle’s illustrations are like candy for the eyes and this book has one of those built in surprises we’ve come to expect from this author.

Bear Stays Up by Karma Wilson. If your kids loved Bear Snores On then you have to get this adorable, rhyming Christmas book to add to your collection.

Christmas in My Heart by Joe Wheeler. Chantel reminded me of this collection. We had the first volume when I was young–now there are over 20 volumes of these collections of Christmas short stories. I loved re-reading these each year.

The Story of the Other Wiseman by Henry Van Dyke. Often retold as the tale of the fourth wiseman, and even turned into a movie, this is an unabridged version by the original author, who also penned the words to the Christmas carol, Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.

The Truth in the Tinsel. Ebooks count, right? We used this advent craft guide two years ago and the kids LOVED it. I’m going to do it again as soon as my younger children’s motor skills develop further so all 4 kids can do it together.

The Voices of Christmas by Nikki Grimes. This isn’t an advent book, but because it contains 14 different readings, I though I’d include it here for those who might want a lighter reading schedule. Sarah recommended this one to me, and I love that it’s poems from 14 different characters in the Christmas story–including the people that are often overlooked in other books, like Anna, Simeon, Elizabeth, and Zachariah.

Modern Christmas Classics

These are a selection of newer Christmas books that are sure to become heirlooms. I’ve put many of these on my personal wish list.

Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect by Richard H. Schneider. This special edition includes a dressed up cover with glitter and a sticker sheet that children can use to decorate a picture of a pine tree in the back of the book.

The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston. I was so excited when my friend, Jeni, showed me that one of my favorite illustrators, Barbara Cooney, had illustrated a Christmas book! She says you must read this one with a southern accent to get the fullest enjoyment out of this Appalachian tale.

The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden. I’ve enjoyed Godden’s other books about specially loved dolls–this one looks like a real treat with illustrations from Barbara Cooney again!

The Carpenter’s Gift by David Rubel. I’m a sucker for the illustration side of a book, but this one sounds like the story is as beautiful as the pictures.

November in Alabama…you’re blowing my mind. We had a taste of you two years ago, when we camped in the bus for the month of November. With your endless days of sun and gentle warmth, I felt like I won a vacation to a tropical location. This year we came by you honestly–we survived June, July, August, September and even October’s occasional 90 degree day, and now we are in this magical month that I rarely recognize but am certainly enjoying.

Outdoors…Thanks to the cooler temps, we lifted the ban on the woods–one of the most endearing spots in our little yard, but one we avoid in the heat of summer because of…the snakes. The kids (and me, I readily admit) are drawn to the magic of the woods and are spending hours in fort building, path clearing, and tree climbing. Classic childhood activities, what I’ve always wanted for my kids.

Around the house…Lydia is walking. Her fan club is in ecstasy, constantly raving about her accomplishment. Now begins that season in which you find random items all over the house because, you know, the next thing after learning to walk is learning to cart things around, right? Yesterday she had figured out how to carry two baby dolls simultaneously. She has inherited her mother’s love of twins, methinks.

In school this month… the kids are learning about Castles and Medieval times, and Mommy is reading up on Charlotte Mason, resulting in most afternoons spent in outdoor discovery and unofficial nature study.

Jesse and Claire are both making great strides with their reading, and Jesse wrote his first book report completely on his own initiative. He didn’t even know what a book report was, but he wanted to write about his favorite book in school this month (A Door in the Wall) and he wrote and illustrated a synopsis almost completely by himself. I was so proud.

Also this month…

In the Kitchen…Peter Rheinhart’s American Pie is bringing our home pizza experience to the next level.

Behind the Blog…so much awesomeness–plans for the new year, but also some fun stuff that’ll go live in the next month! (It might have something to do with helping you enjoy gift giving, despite tight budgets–get on my newsletter list so you don’t miss out!)

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